Category: Holidays (Page 8 of 12)

Holiday Traditions from Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser

December 20, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Today Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser have asked Josie, the main character in their José Picada, P.I. series, to share some holiday traditions. Let’s give a big welcome to all three!

We’re Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser, a sister-brother writing team. Katie graciously invited us to her blog today to talk about holiday traditions. Since we’re a little too busy getting ready for the holidays to write a guest post, we thought we’d turn it over to our main character, Josie. Hope you enjoy!

Holiday Traditions

By Josie P. Cates

Hi, I’m Josie. You might know me as the main character of Deception Al Dente and The Sound of Sirens. They’re the first two books in the José Picada, P.I. series, which is a total misnomer because the books are about me. I won’t bore you with the details. What I’m really here to talk about is holiday traditions.

So, let’s see… how do I celebrate the holidays? I guess “with family” is the expected answer. I try to avoid not only the expected, but also my family. So that’s a double whammy on that answer. Plus, my mom and stepdad live pretty far away, so it’s kind of a hassle to go there for a holiday visit. For the last several years, my Christmas Eve has been spent eating homemade Christmas cookies (I generally can’t cook worth a darn, but make some mean cookies) and watching It’s a Wonderful Life with my friend, Bobby. Sometimes we bust out the sparkling wine (a little too sweet for my taste, but Bobby likes it) and play the Wonderful Life drinking game. (Take a sip every time an angel gets his wings, etc.) Bobby and I exchange presents, usually one expensive gag gift and one small real gift. Oh, and ever since I moved in with my roommate Lou, she’s brought us leftovers from the restaurant she owns. So now Christmas Eve includes free gourmet creations. It’s pretty awesome.

Christmas morning, I sleep in. Like, till noon. Possibly later. I roll out of bed and grab a cup of coffee. Lou and I sit around and munch on more Christmas cookies and leftovers until it’s time to get ready for our festive holiday meal. Our friend Al (he’s Lou’s chef) and his dad Arthur come over. Al brings the food since, you know, he’s a chef. We supply the eggnog. Not that anyone really likes eggnog, or even drinks it, for that matter, but it’s Christmas. Eggnog is practically law. Kind of like fruitcake, which we also have and which also goes untouched. Bobby drops by after he spends time with his crazy family.

So, in summary, Christmas cookies, Wonderful Life, festive holiday meal that I cook exactly none of. Sounds pretty good, right? What are your holiday traditions like? What is a nog, and why are its eggs so gross?

Thanksgiving dinner with the family can be murder. Especially when someone is actually trying to kill you. Here’s a quick excerpt:

“Wakey wakey!”

Out of pure instinct, I karate-chopped the figure hovering next to me.

“Ouch!”

A loud thud brought me out of my REM cycle. It had been a very nice REM cycle; I’d been lounging on a tropical beach with a hunky, sparkly vampire.

“Wow, Josie, you sure do pack a wallop!” Carrie-Ann said from where she’d landed on her butt on the floor.

“Uh, thanks.” I pulled myself into a sitting position while wishing that my stepsister left me the heck alone. “What’s with the wake-up call?”

“Well,” she said, picking herself up and perching on the couch next to me. “I just wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving!”

“Uh, thanks,” I repeated.

“And the plucky cake is almost ready, so—”

“Plucky cake!?” Now she had my full attention. I’d almost forgotten Mom’s tradition of making this gooey, cinnamony, pull-apart coffee cake on Thanksgiving morning. Now that I thought about it, a hint of cinnamon could be detected in the air.

“Well, of course, plucky cake!” Carrie-Ann was beaming. “I made it myself!”

“Humph,” I humphed, doubtful that it could be as good as Mom’s. Not that Mom was the best cook, but this was one of her specialties.

“And it’s almost ready, so I thought I’d better turn on the parade. We have to watch the parade while we eat our plucky cake!” She picked up the remote and clicked on the huge TV, finding the right channel for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Ooo! Country-pop crossover superstar Jaycee Day is coming up next! I’d better hurry!”

She bounced off the couch and bounded up the stairs. I groaned and lay back down, longing for just a few more minutes with my vampire dreamboat.

Available on:

MuseItUp: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/the-sound-of-sirens-detail

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Sirens-José-Picada-P-I-ebook/dp/B00GZ43EN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385738485&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+fraser+brainerd

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sound-of-sirens-heather-fraser-brainerd/1117545061?ean=2940148954118

Find Heather and David on:

Blog: http://drivingblindproductions.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrainerdFraser

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HFBrainerd and https://twitter.com/NotDaveFraser

If You’re Going to Shop This Week, at Least Buy a Book

November 27, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m not a big shopper. It might be because my oldest sister would occasionally drag me along to clothes shop with her (I guess when no one cool could come along…they probably all knew better).

The day would usually go like something like this. Twenty minutes in, I’d be bored, but she would still be looking, her pile of clothes to try on getting ever larger. Finally after an eternity, she would be ready to try on the pile, and I would get all excited because I’d be thinking we were almost done. Nope. Because she would have to show me every single thing, and for some reason (which I still don’t understand) it would take her ten minutes to try on each piece.

Mind you, this was before cell phones, so it wasn’t like I could just plop myself down in the dressing room and play on my phone while I waited. (These days, I try to avoid clothes shopping with this particular sister.)

So I’ve only been out on Black Friday once. And that was because I had a very particular item I wanted, and I didn’t get up at some crazy early time to get it. I don’t plan on going out this year or any year in the near future. But I know a lot of people do go out, so I’m asking that if you do, consider buying a book while you’re shopping.

Need some recommendations? Check out my Goodreads “read” page. I don’t write reviews for all the books I read, but I do give them star ratings. Basically anything that’s a 4 or 5 is one I’d recommend. Don’t care what I read…okay, how about this list from Publisher’s Weekly or this children’s list (novels) from Publisher’s Weekly or the picture book list from Publisher’s Weekly? There’s also the 2013 National Book Award winners and finalists list. That’s not even mentioning lists from previous years.

So what books are you looking to buy or receive this holiday season? Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Feeling in the Christmas Spirit

November 19, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Some years all the early Christmas hoopla gets on my nerves. The commercials starting just after Halloween, hearing Christmas music on the radio before Thanksgiving, and seeing Santa at the mall in early November can really get the blood bubbling.

But this year, I kind of don’t mind. If I allow myself to look past the commercialism of the holiday, all that often annoying stuff can be sweet. Those sappy commercials, well, some of them are kind of heart-warming. The music is nostalgic and wonderful. The lights and trees are beautiful.

Maybe this change of heart is because The Boy is old enough to really enjoy unwrapping presents, decorating cookies, and reading Christmas stories. Maybe it’s because I might actually have a little bit of time to enjoy the Christmas wrapping and baking that comes with the season.

You know what, I don’t even care why. I’m not going to ruin this Christmas spirit I’m feeling with over analyzing it. So bring on the music, the lights, and the cheer! I’m into it this year, and I’m going to live it up while it lasts!

“The Rewrite Before Christmas” by Beth Overmyer Author of In a Pickle

July 12, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Today (ahem, on my birthday…and, yes, I’ve stopped counting how many I’ve celebrated) I have a unique poem from Beth Overmyer, author of the middle grade novella In a Pickle. Be prepared to laugh as Beth takes over the blog!

Just in time for Christmas in July…I present:

The Rewrite Before Christmas

(Parody of Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas)

‘Twas the first draft of my novel and all through the book

There were typos and blunders, not even a hook;

The scenes were all tied together by a hair,

All hoping the editors soon would repair;

The characters were voiceless, all bland and cardboard,

They talked and they rambled, no sense in their words;

And my alphas and my betas put on thinking caps,

“How do I keep reading? I want a long nap!”

And out of my prose there arose such a clutter

Of dialogue tags such as “murmured” and “muttered;”

“Away,” “through” and “of” all ended each sentence;

I misspelled all words without a hint of repentance;

All adverbs were abused shamelessly;

The luster and shine was very much lacking.

When pressing my brain on to make this thing better,

There appeared on my desk an over-sized shredder.

With a clunky old hard drive, so ancient and sick,

I rigged up old Bob with the help of a fork lift.

More vapid than prairies my stories I shredded,

Lit them with a match, doused with unleaded,

“Now burn, you! Now, die, you!

Now shred, burn and fry, you!

No ands ifs or buts:

I’ll burn short stories too!

To the top of the shredder, to the top of the wall!

No dashes, m-dashes, n-dashes; away, all!”

As dry as leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

I watched the smoke drifting up, up to the sky;

So shiny and lovely, the ashes, they flew,

With smell of burnt plastic and toxic waste too.

And then I’d an inkling, a nudge in my head,

The itching and clawing, as that of the undead.

And I drew in my head an outline so sound

For a shiny new novel, and then went to town!

So, hear me exclaim as I drop out of sight:

“A novel isn’t written; thou must rewrite!”

In a Pickle blurb:

Charlie Pickle can’t stay put in the year 1920, due to an annoying habit of time-traveling. On a trip back to 1910, he meets a man with a secret. Murder makes the headlines that day, and Charlie’s new friend knows who the guilty party is. Now, not only does Charlie have bullies and murderers to contend with, he’s got some history to fix.

Find In a Pickle at the MuseItUp bookstore, Amazon, and other ebook retailers.

About the Author: CC Pic Beth Overmyer: writer of kidlit, penner of prose, petter of cats.

Author links:

Blog: http://bethovermyer.blogspot.com

Website: http://bethovermyer.com

First Kisses (or Kissees)

February 14, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m generally not an outwardly sentimental person, but I recently came across a blog post about first loves and it reminded me of my first kiss. And well, it seemed an appropriate topic for today.

I was in second grade and had a crush on a boy. I was pretty sure he liked me. Ever the bold girl, I wrote him a note (back when you still passed notes in class, not text messages). The note read, “Will you kissee me?” And there was a yes option and no option, each with a box for him to check. (I think I still have that note stashed away in a shoebox somewhere.)

He checked yes! The kiss happened during recess, I think in the middle of a game of tag. A brief touching of lips, only a peck really, that lasted maybe a few seconds. But everyone saw it. The first of *ahem* many memorable kisses I’ve experienced. I wonder who else remembers that kiss…

Another first kiss, quite a bit more steamy than my second-grade peck, is one I wrote between Katora and Hirsten in Elixir Bound. I just happen to have an excerpt of it on an old post over at the Muse blog. What are some of your memorable kissees?